23-1: The Black Mist is Powerful
At last, the most revered elders of the White Tiger spirits arrived to meet Agung and Ki Ronggo.
Even they were not spared from Queen Cempaka’s curse.
Like everyone else, they felt the burning need that struck without warning, and found relief only through intimate union whenever the symptoms flared.
But there was one great difficulty: Ki Jembar Angin had lived for more than six hundred years, and his strength was no longer what it once was.
To repeat such acts day after day drained him terribly, and forcing himself too hard risked bringing his ancient heart to its breaking point.
Ki Jembar: “We cannot go on like this forever.
We must find a cure that ends this torment completely.”
Nyai Ambar: “The only true way is to stand and fight back against Queen Cempaka herself.”
Ki Ronggo nodded in agreement, though his eyes wandered hungrily over Nyai Ambar’s flawless, voluptuous form — only to dart quickly away again as he remembered the fearsome power of her husband standing beside her.
Ki Ronggo: “The Queen’s strength is beyond measure.
Even breaking through her protective barrier proves nearly impossible; to face her directly would be folly indeed.”
Agung: “I speak from experience — each time I tried to cross that boundary, I was hurled back as if struck by a great force.”
Ki Jembar: “You must have felt the bite of her Ajian Kulhu Geni — the Fire Spell.
Few withstand its heat.”
Agung nodded gravely.
Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Ki Ronggo spoke with utmost respect.
Ki Ronggo: “Forgive my boldness, Ki Jembar… there is something you must hear.”
Ki Jembar: “Speak plainly, Elder.
I already guess what it is you wish to say.”
Ki Ronggo: “You… you know already?”
Ki Jembar bowed his head, his expression heavy with weariness and sorrow.
Ki Jembar: “I have felt the answer in my bones.
I consent… my wife must join with a human man in sacred union — only thus can this plague be lifted for us all.”
Ki Ronggo: “You do not feel anger or jealousy at such a demand?”
Ki Jembar: “This is no act of passion alone — it is a duty to save every soul upon Mount Slamet.
My own feelings matter little beside that truth.”
Yet his voice carried a quiet bitterness that no amount of resolve could hide.
Ki Ronggo turned his gaze gently toward Nyai Ambar herself.
Do you accept this burden?”
Nyai Ambar’s eyes drifted first to Agung, studying him with a knowing look, before she turned back to her husband with a soft, wry smile.
Nyai Ambar: “It seems fate has chosen you, Agung — a man whose spirit remains pure and bright, even if you do enjoy the company of women more than most.”
Agung’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, yet his eyes could not help but linger admiringly upon her lush, graceful figure.
Then she shifted her gaze to Ki Ronggo, her tone sharp yet playful.
Nyai Ambar: “And you, old friend… your blood is not that of a pure spirit.
It carries the mark of demons.
Your mother was taken by a Genderuwo who wore the face of your own father — and from that union, you were born.”
Ki Ronggo gave a shy, guilty smile, though his eyes still wandered appreciatively over her curves.
Nyai Ambar: “That same blood is what grants you your endless hunger and the tireless strength you bring to the bedchamber — a gift, and a curse alike.”
Ki Ronggo glanced quickly between Agung and Ki Jembar.
Though the elder spoke of consent, there was a flicker deep in his eyes that betrayed his true feelings — no husband could ever truly welcome another man to lie with his wife, no matter the reason.
Seeing this, Ki Ronggo swiftly wove a plan in his mind to soothe the old tiger’s wounded pride.
Ki Ronggo: “In truth… the ritual does not call for Nyai Ambar alone.
You too, Ki Jembar, must join in this sacred union if the magic is to hold.”
Ki Jembar: “Me as well?”
Ki Ronggo: “Yes.
It requires both halves of the bond.”
Ki Jembar: “And who shall be my partner?”
Ki Ronggo: “We have already arranged a worthy human woman, chosen for her purity and strength of spirit.
She awaits you when the time comes.”
A great weight lifted from Ki Jembar’s chest, and a relieved smile spread across his face.
Nyai Ambar also smiled warmly, happy to see her husband would not be left to watch alone while others shared such intimacy.
Nyai Ambar: “So you too shall take part in the ritual, my love?
To drive away the darkness?”
Ki Jembar: “It seems so, my dear… and I shall do it gladly, for us all.”
23-2: The Secret Ritual
Elsewhere, Sariti wore a pout of disappointment as she learned that her companion Kliyem would be receiving her own ritual union in the most hidden and intimate way.
In truth, that had been the very hope that brought them all the way to Ki Ronggo’s hut — both women dreamed of feeling the Elder’s great, firm strength deep within them, a pleasure neither could ever forget.
Sariti still carried the memory vividly: the way he filled her completely, slow and powerful, a warmth and fullness that rubbed against every secret part of her and left her trembling in delight.
Now Ki Ronggo turned his sharp gaze toward her, his voice low and commanding.
Ki Ronggo: “And you, Sariti… to be freed from this curse, you too must lie with one whose veins run with demon blood.”
Sariti: “And who might that be, Elder?”
Ki Ronggo: “You shall serve me.
My own blood holds the power needed to heal you.”
Sariti: “You mean… you also carry the spirit’s mark within you?”
Ki Ronggo nodded slowly.
Sariti: “No wonder your strength feels endless, and your touch so overwhelming…”
Ki Ronggo: “So… do you consent to this part of the ritual?”
Sariti hesitated only a moment.
She recalled the last time he had taken her, calling it a transfer of sacred energy — yet it had felt far more like pure, rapturous pleasure than any medicine.
The memory alone made her body ache and long for more.
She nodded slowly, her voice soft and eager.
Sariti: “I agree, Elder… but I suppose… it must be through the deepest, most secret path, is it not?
That is how the ritual is done?”
A broad, wicked grin spread across Ki Ronggo’s face.
Ki Ronggo: “Precisely.
The magic requires that I enter you through that most hidden and tender sanctuary — the only way the power may flow fully into your being.”
Sariti turned her face away, cheeks burning bright with shyness and anticipation.
What neither she nor anyone else realized was that this was but a clever ruse woven by Ki Ronggo alone.
By offering Ki Jembar his own companion, he had calmed the elder’s pride and secured Agung’s right to be with Nyai Ambar.
And now, through the same trickery, he would have Sariti all to himself once more, claiming her body under the name of duty while satisfying his own endless hunger.
TO BE CONTINUED…